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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23728510">i just want to be the one you love</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatDudeNoah/pseuds/ThatDudeNoah'>ThatDudeNoah</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Knight of Hell 'verse [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Supernatural</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Arson, Cop Castiel, Criminal Dean Winchester, Kinda, Love Confession, M/M, Murder, Pyromania, Unrequited Love, idk what else, sociopaths in love</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 23:21:06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,236</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23728510</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatDudeNoah/pseuds/ThatDudeNoah</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Detective Castiel Novak had spent three years looking for the arsonist who called himself the Knight of Hell. After that long, he had given up on solving the case.</p><p>But now that he had the man sitting in front of him, he wishes he never found him in the first place.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dean Winchester/Castiel</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Knight of Hell 'verse [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1874965</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>51</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>i just want to be the one you love</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Title based off the song I Just Want to Be the One You Love by Boxout</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>
    <em>Present Day</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s ready for you, Novak.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Castiel runs a hand through his hair. It was go time. “Thanks, Henrikson.” Three years of his life could be over now. If he was lucky.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Castiel ignored the slight tremor in his hand when he opened the door to the interrogation room. Inside it was Dean Winchester, the infamous pyromaniac responsible for over 40 house fires and over one hundred deaths. He was handcuffed to the table and leaning back in his chair, a smug smile plastered on his face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dean Winchester bites his lip and looks the detective up and down. “Good to see you, Castiel.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Castiel grits his teeth. “I am Detective Novak, and I do have to ask that you refer to me as such,” he says. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dean rolls his eyes. “Oh, c’mon. We’re far past formalities, aren't we, Castiel?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He doesn't respond to that, simply sits down at the table across from Dean. “I will be recording this conversation,” he says, trying to keep his voice level. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Just stick to protocol</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He takes a deep breath. “Let the record show that I am talking to Dean Winchester, suspect in the series of house fires and killings that took place between the years 2017 and 2019.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dean just kept grinning, looking casual and comfortable. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As much as Castiel hated to admit it, Dean Winchester was an objectively attractive man. He had a confident smile, a feminine face structure that almost made him </span>
  <em>
    <span>pretty</span>
  </em>
  <span>, green and enticing eyes, and his body wasn't bad either. Castiel was sure that Dean had ladies just waiting to be with him - that is, if Dean Winchester was a person who engaged in sexual activities.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dean Winchester had a clean record, aside from a shoplifting case when he was a teenager. His mother died in a car crash when he was younger. Dean was in the car with her. He went to therapy for many years after that. He had a younger brother, Sam, who had just been a young child when his mother passed and wasn’t too affected psychologically from the loss of his mother. Their father had a few arrests in the year after Mary Winchester’s death - small things such as DUIs and the like. The charges stopped soon after though, and Castiel could only assume the man had decided to get sober for his kids.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dean Winchester had experienced trauma, but if you didn't know that, you would never expect that. You would think he was a completely sane person. Without evidence, nobody would suspect him to be the self-proclaimed Knight of Hell. But here he was.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>19 January 2017</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <span>Castiel stood outside his house with the rest of his neighbors, all of them looking at the house that was in flames. It was the one directly next to Castiel’s.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The fire truck had just started to arrive and people stepped away to make space for it. There were three people on the lawn of the house - a woman who appeared to be somewhere in her thirties, a man beside her around the same age, and in between them a small boy who couldn't have been older than two. All three of them were in tears. The toddler was shaking his head and reaching out towards the fire, mumbling something.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We can't, honey,” the woman said in a shaky voice. “Just - Just let the fireman take care of it, okay? Spot is gonna be okay.” She ran her shaky hands through the hair of the small boy and tried to comfort him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Castiel feels his heartache a little. He couldn't imagine what the family was going through. But he couldn't exactly help them. He was still working on it, but his people skills weren't exactly the best.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Instead, Castiel decides to walk down a few blocks, away from the chaos that had started. He wanted to book a hotel room for the night so that he could get away from the smoke and maybe catch a little bit of shut-eye before he had to go to work. He scrolls through a few listings on his phone before he finds the hotel closest to him, then calls them and reserves a room for the night.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He takes a deep breath of the cool night air. He can still hear the sirens distantly. It's peaceful though, being in the almost silence and the dark of night. It wasn't the first time he had been awake at this time of night, but it was one of the few times he was awake for a non-work related thing when it was dark out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A rustle in the bushes snaps Castiel out of his thoughts and his head whips around. He feels like he should be alert as if he were on duty. But he's not. He's safe. Castiel repeats that mantra to himself for a few moments and ignores the bad feeling in his gut.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Castiel rolls his shoulders in an attempt to relax them, then begins the short walk back to his house so he can grab some clothes for the morning and drive to the hotel.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Present Day</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dean Winchester-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, Castiel Novak?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A shiver runs down Castiel’s spine. It feels wrong to hear his name come out of the criminal’s mouth. “Dean Winchester, where were you the night of October 19th, 2019 - the night of Kelly Kline’s death?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where were you on September 28th when a man named Michael Saint was shot and killed?” Dean counters.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dean, you are aware that you are being investigated on the crimes committed by the ‘Knight of Hell,’ correct? Because this is a very serious case and I do request you refrain from discussing matters that are not directly related to the charges.” Castiel stares Dean in the eyes, trying to not give away the anger and slight fear inside of him. He knows Dean is guilty. He knows Dean is dangerous.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dean shakes his head and chuckles. “Cas - can I call you Cas?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cas, this </span>
  <em>
    <span>is </span>
  </em>
  <span>related to the case. I’m sure you know that.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mr. Winchester, where were you the night of Kelly Kline’s death?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“September 28th, a priest named Michael Saint was shot and killed. You already know that, of course. It was all over the news. But, for some reason, nobody seemed to work on the case. It went cold after, what, a week?” Dean runs his free hand through his hair, talking about the murder as if he were talking about something as casual as sports. “After the fire that killed Kelly Kline, some people investigated her son. He’s a young guy, innocent face. But you know what's wild?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Castiel sighs. “Jack Kline shot Michael Saint.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dean clicks his tongue. “Bingo. So, Cas, can you please tell me how that's unrelated to the case?”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>19 April 2017</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <span>Another fire.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The fires had been going on for four months, always occurring on the 19th. The MO was always the same. After the first two or three months, most officers assumed it was nearly a coincidence. But by the fourth month, it clearly wasn't.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not to mention the fact that there was a note.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Happy four months of hell, boys</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>-Knight of Hell</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>It had been mailed to Castiel’s station, arriving a few hours after they received news of the house fire.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Normally, Castiel wouldn't have gotten involved with the case. People would've wanted to keep the case local for as long as possible. But the fact that the letter was mailed to where Castiel worked meant that he quickly started working it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There doesn't seem to be any connection,” Castiel says. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Inias groans, “That's because there is no connection. It's probably just some psycho going at random.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shakes his head. “You know that's not true. These guys are rarely just </span>
  <em>
    <span>completely </span>
  </em>
  <span>crazy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Inias doesn't even bother arguing with that. “Yeah, I guess.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, so maybe they're all connected to this ‘Knight of Hell’ character,” Castiel proposes. “Like they're exes or something.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fine, but how are we supposed to determine that?” Inias sighs. “I don’t think there's any point looking at motive right now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You're probably right,” Castiel reluctantly agrees. “But right now we have nothing else to work with. I mean, no DNA on any of the scenes, no security camera footage…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His partner shrugs. “Maybe we’ll be lucky and the note will have something on it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Castiel nods, but both him and Inias know that it's a long shot. He doesn't know why, but Castiel has a feeling that this guy isn't playing around. The ‘Knight of Hell’ is no doubt sick in the head, but he has some plan. And he's confident enough about this plan that he's willing to </span>
  <em>
    <span>taunt</span>
  </em>
  <span> them by sending a note. Castiel almost wants to strangle the guy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Castiel knows that there's going to be a lot of overtime and a lot of sleepless nights trying to solve this case. Hell, the first fire was at his neighbor’s house. Even if the Knight of Hell wasn't aware of it, the guy could've killed Castiel. His house could've been the first.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Inias just puts his head in his hands. “Let's just get some rest tonight and pick it up in the morning.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Castiel doesn't argue.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Present Day</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <span>“On September 19th, 2018, a man named Zachariah Adler was killed in a house fire,” Castiel says. “On March 19th, 2019, a man named Cain Abel was killed in a house fire. On December 19th, 2017, a young girl named Lilith Morningstar was killed in a house fire.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dean rolls his head back on his shoulders and runs his tongue over his teeth, his smug smile still on his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Someone named the Knight of Hell,” Castiel continues, “has taken credit for both the fires and the deaths.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dean sighs dramatically. “Now, correct me if I'm wrong, </span>
  <em>
    <span>detective</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but these people were all criminals or connected to criminals, correct? I mean, Mr. Adler runs - or, ran, I should say - an evil company. He often took money illegally from this company, abused his workers, and worked them ungodly hours.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Again, Mr. Winchester-” Castiel tries to say but is cut off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cain Abel, quite ironically might I add, killed his brother. Pretty fitting considering his name. And then Lilith Morningstar is the daughter of Nick Morningstar, is she not? Nick Morningstar, better known as Lucifer in some circles, was a mob boss if I'm not mistaken. Him and his gang were responsible for countless deaths.” Dean shrugged. “I feel like you should be </span>
  <em>
    <span>grateful</span>
  </em>
  <span> for whoever caused these fires and exposed these criminals.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In all honesty, Castiel wasn't surprised that Dean played that card. It had taken him a while to figure out the connection between all of the victims of the Knight of Hell, but if Dean truly was the Knight of Hell - and Castiel was almost positive that he was - then Dean would obviously know the connection. He would know that all of them had been wanted criminals.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, I can't thank someone I don’t know,” Castiel points out. Then he sighs. “Dean, I'm gonna ask you directly: did you kill these people? Are you the Knight of Hell?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dean smiles and leans forward, resting his elbows on the table. “You seem like a smart guy, Castiel. What do you think? Do </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> think that I'm the Knight of Hell?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You're a suspect of course,” Castiel says. “I mean, you're in this room for a reason.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shakes his head. “That's a very generic answer, Cas, and that just won't do. Obviously, I'm a suspect. But tell me, do </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> think I did it? You. What is your gut telling you? Is it telling you that I’m some monster? Or is it telling you that I'm just a man who was caught in the wrong place at the wrong time?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dean leans in closer to the detective and Castiel’s breath quickens slightly. But it’s enough that Dean sees it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dean laughs and leans back again. “I'm sorry, I really don’t mean to be too unprofessional.” All Castiel wants to do is wipe that smug smile off his stupid face. “I just thought more of you, Castiel.”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>19 December 2017</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <span>Of course, there was a fire.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was the twelfth one, though it was technically the thirteenth house to catch fire. Back in June, the fire spread from one house to the one next door before the firefighters got there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But this was the first time there had been any casualties.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was a young girl named Lilith Morningstar. Her father hadn't been home, but instead, Lilith was left with a nanny, who survived the incident with minimal smoke inhalation. She had been shaky and in shock, so she couldn't be questioned after the fire. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Castiel and Inias had still made no progress with the case. They had one suspect, but after investigating it a little further, it was clear that they had the wrong guy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>However, the detectives had managed to find the connection between all of the fires. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Criminals.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Criminals all lived in the houses that were being burned. Castiel had no idea why the so-called Knight of Hell was doing this whole thing. Maybe he viewed himself as some kind of vigilante, a justice bringer. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The man’s motive didn't matter too much though. What Inias and Castiel really cared about was trying to get a description of the man. They hadn't obtained much information, mostly loose descriptions from the people inside the house. They said he was tall and had short hair, but they didn't get much more.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That night, Castiel couldn't stop thinking about the case. All he could think of was the poor girl who had been killed. Surely she wasn't the criminal the Knight of Hell had been after, and it likely wasn't the nanny. That just left her father Nick.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But he couldn't think about Nick and whatever crime he committed. Because a young girl was dead. A girl who had so much more to live for. She was only eight. She was homeschooled. She rarely saw her father. Her mother had been murdered when she was two. Her life clearly hadn't been fantastic, and now she didn't even have a chance to make it better.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Castiel locked his car and tried to stop thinking about the case.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But, of course, that wouldn't be possible.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Taped to Castiel’s front door was a note. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Castiel Novak</span>
  </em>
  <span> was scribbled on the front. His heart pounded as he took it off his door and opened it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Castiel’s eyes just skimmed the letter, but clearly noted at the bottom was the name </span>
  <em>
    <span>Knight of Hell</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He felt like throwing up. This mystery man knew where Castiel lived. He knew Castiel’s name. He obviously knew that he was working the case. Hell, maybe the man had known who he was before he had even started the case. Maybe that's why the initial fire was next door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With shaky hands, Castiel pulls out his phone and blindly calls Inias. He knows he should probably drive back to the station, but he can't do that. He would probably end up in a car crash on the way. And he knows he should probably get away from his house, considering the Knight of Hell could be hiding anywhere, ready to pounce - he could be </span>
  <em>
    <span>inside</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Despite everything he knows he should do, Castiel just stands there and calls his partner.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Heya, Novak,” Inias answers, oblivious to the panic Castiel is in. “You need somethin’ already?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Castiel opens his mouth, trying to speak. All he can get out is, “Inias.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Immediately, Inias’ demeanor changes. “You okay there, man? You sound real scared.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He stares at the note in his hands and takes a deep breath. “I got a letter,” he says, his voice slightly less shaky. “It - It’s from the Knight of Hell.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There's silence on the other end for a few seconds. Then: “Shit.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Castiel scans the letter again, mind only picking up on some of the words. </span>
  <em>
    <span>One year </span>
  </em>
  <span>and </span>
  <em>
    <span>poor Lilith</span>
  </em>
  <span> and </span>
  <em>
    <span>dead</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He pulls in another shaky breath. “You gotta send some people down here, Nias,” he says. “I don’t - I don’t know if he's still here. I don't know if my house is about to be burned. And - shit.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” he asks, anxiety clear in his voice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I got my fingerprints over the letter.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, shut up, man! That's really the least of my concerns right now. I’m gonna send a quick text to Henrikson and explain the situation, okay? Stay on the line and tell me if anything goes south or something.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright. I can do that.” Castiel finds himself calming down little by little. Inias informs him that officers will be over in five minutes and that everything should be fine. He continues to reassure Castiel even though Inias seems just as freaked out as him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sure enough, cars pull up to Castiel’s house quickly and Castiel moves for the first time since calling Inias. They take the note as evidence and scan the house and the perimeter, but everything is clear. They even put patrol cars outside of the house that will stay for two nights. Despite all of that, Castiel decides he doesn't want to stay in his house that night. Inias insists that Castiel should stay at his place rather than at some hotel and Castiel quickly agrees.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As Castiel laid on his friend’s couch, his mind raced. He couldn't stop thinking about the little girl who was killed and he couldn't stop thinking about the note. Eventually, though, Castiel tires himself out and falls into a restless sleep.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Present Day</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mr. Winchester,” Castiel says with a sigh, “as I said before, these charges are very serious. If this goes to court and you try to plead innocent, the whole process will only be extended.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh I'm well aware of the seriousness, Cas,” Dean tells him. “Multiple counts of murder and arson.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He nods. “No matter what happens, the Knight of Hell will be spending life in prison with no chance of parole. All of the evidence points to you being the Knight of Hell.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe it does, Castiel. But here's the thing: it doesn't really matter what happens to me. If anything, it might benefit you to keep me </span>
  <em>
    <span>out </span>
  </em>
  <span>of jail.” Dean leans forward on the table, eyes going dark. “Your name is Castiel James Novak. You have two half-siblings, one is an older brother named Gabriel Laufeyson and the other is a younger sister named Anna Milton. Anna now lives in California, but your brother still lives here. In fact, he doesn't live far away-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This has nothing to do with the case,” Castiel says, trying to keep his voice level.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dean laughs slowly, then uses his uncuffed hand to grab Castiel’s wrist. “Inias Garrison is your partner. He helped you work this case. He lives in an apartment complex at the end of town. You went to the police academy with him. He seems to care for you a lot. So does your brother. I'm sure you'd hate to see either of them get hurt.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Castiel rips his hand out of Dean’s grip. He knows that Inias and Victor will be at the interrogation room soon, no doubt having seen Dean grab Castiel. “I fucking knew it,” is all Castiel can get out. His heart is racing and he can still feel Dean’s fingers grabbing at his wrist, the memory seared into his skin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Another laugh comes from Dean. “That's what I like about you, Cas,” he says. “You trust your gut. You </span>
  <em>
    <span>know</span>
  </em>
  <span> what's right. You would do anything to lock up scumbags like Zachariah Adler and Cain Abel, wouldn't you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He grits his teeth together and gets out of his chair just as the door flings open. Victor pulls out his pair of handcuffs and wordlessly grabs Dean’s other wrist, locking it to the table. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Inias grabs Castiel's shoulder and turns him around. “You okay?” He inspects the red marks on Castiel’s wrist that will no doubt form bruises. Dean had one hell of a grip. “What was he saying?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Castiel shakes his head and takes a shaky breath. “It's him, Inias. It - It has to be.”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>19 July 2019</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <span>Castiel wasn't surprised when he got another letter from the Knight of Hell.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He got them often now, even when there were no fires. He was less afraid every time he received them, but he did go into his house with his gun ready and loaded when he pulled one off his door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The one that Castiel received today read:</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You’re a handsome man, Castiel Novak. You should smile more. It makes you more approachable.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Nobody will die tonight. But you should look into the MacLeods. You're welcome.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>-Knight of Hell</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>With a resigned sigh, Castiel calls Victor and reads him the note. Victor is still on duty, so he agrees to drive down and grab the note to test it for fingerprints. It never turns up anything but it also never hurts to try.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Castiel got used to the idea that he was being watched awhile ago. Of course, there had been shorter cases that he worked where he was stalked, but it was different this time. For over three years some strange murderer had been watching Castiel. Sometimes the notes would be more specific, mentioning a specific cafe Castiel had gone to that day, so they knew that he was the real deal. While that had initially freaked him out, Castiel was now accustomed to the whole thing. He got used to assuming that a pair of eyes were always on him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He went through his whole house with his gun raised, but, as always, there was no one there. Castiel sat down at his desk, ignoring the anxiety that remained in him. He kept looking over his notes and accounts from witnesses, but he was stumped. He had been looking at the same pictures for </span>
  <em>
    <span>years</span>
  </em>
  <span> and nothing showed up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After looking through his dead ends for a few more minutes, Castiel decides that he should start looking into potential future victims for the Knight of Hell. He had never been right in the past, and there would still be another month before the next fire, but he figured it wouldn't hurt him to jump on the investigation early.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>While Castiel was going through his notes on a recent string of robberies, his mind wandered. It wandered back to the notes that he received from the infamous arson. As time had gone on, the notes got more and more flirty. It felt like something you would tell your high school crush, or a note you would pass in middle school.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I really like your eyes. They seem even bluer in the sun.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Your laugh makes me smile.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You look so handsome when you're in a suit.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Of course, there were also creepy notes that made Castiel flinch when he read them and kept him awake for nights in a row.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You look peaceful when you're sleeping.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I saw you flirting with a barista yesterday. Be careful or that coffee shop will be the next thing that goes up in flames.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You really shouldn't leave your door unlocked, Castiel.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Even though he knows he’s alone, Castiel looks around him as if the Knight of Hell will appear. He takes a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. There was no point in getting worked up over things in the past. Right now he is at home, doors locked and blinds closed. Right now he is working a case. Right now he is safe.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sometime close to midnight, Castiel gets a text from Inias. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Inias: Rowena and Fergus MacLeod. Mother and son. Drug dealers.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Well, at least that's one victory, Castiel supposes. Two criminals put behind bars.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At this point, criminals were afraid of the Knight of Hell. They didn't want their house to be the next one to be burned. They didn't want to be exposed. People weren't locked up every time the Knight of Hell struck, but it was more common than not that the person who just lost their house was also a criminal. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And as much as Castiel loved locking away criminals, it almost felt wrong to do it. It felt like they were rewarding the monster that had almost killed those people. He felt like he was patting the Knight of Hell on his back and saying </span>
  <em>
    <span>another job well done</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Though Castiel would never admit it, he thought that maybe it </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span> a job well done. Sure, the means of it weren't exactly the greatest, but the job was complete, right? The bad guys lost. The good guys won. Wasn't that what mattered?</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Present Day</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright Dean, they’re gone again. Now talk.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After Dean had grabbed Castiel, it had taken some convincing to get Inias and Henrikson to leave the interrogation room. But Castiel knew they had to. Dean wouldn't talk if they were in the room. They needed him to talk.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Castiel sighs. “As of right now we can already charge you with assaulting and threatening an officer of the law. I'm sure we could only dig up more stuff on you if we have the time. So just confess, Dean.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dean is still smiling. Castiel doesn't understand why, but the man is still smiling. “You're good at your job, Castiel Novak. I'll give you that.” He bites his lip in a way that Castiel is sure should be perceived as flirtatious.</span>
</p><p>“Tell me why you did it, Dean. Did you do it to feel special? To feel like you accomplished something?” Castiel asks. For the years that the Knight of Hell burned down houses, there was one question that was never answered. And that was his motive. Why did he do all of it? Why did he target criminals?</p><p>
  <span>At that, Dean frowns. “I thought it was clear, Cas.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He tilts his head in confusion. “How - How could it be clear? None of the notes even mentioned a motive. None of the victims were connected to you. So how would it be clear? Did - Did you do it to cause chaos? Just to rile us up?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dean rolls his eyes. “I'm almost offended that you think that. I would never do something like that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then tell me, Dean. Tell me why you're the Knight of Hell.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For what feels like hours, Dean doesn't respond. He stares at Castiel as if he's hoping it's all a joke, as if Castiel will jump up and know the answer to the question. Nobody moves and nobody speaks. Until Dean finally cracks. “It's not for the chaos, Cas. It's not even for the justice.” With each word he speaks, his smirk grows a little wider. “It's not for the </span>
  <em>
    <span>murder</span>
  </em>
  <span> and it's not for the </span>
  <em>
    <span>fire</span>
  </em>
  <span> - though the fire is definitely an upside. I love being able to feel the heat of a fire, to know that things are being destroyed because of me. I love that fire is the way to do it. But it's not for the fire.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dean shakes his head and looks at the table briefly before meeting Castiel’s eyes. “It's for you, dumbass!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Castiel flinches when Dean raises his voice, his mind not even able to comprehend what Dean is telling him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a deep breath, Dean continues in a quieter tone. “Fuck the chaos and the justice and all of that. I just - I just want you to be happy, Castiel. I do it for </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span>. I do it so that criminals I </span>
  <em>
    <span>know</span>
  </em>
  <span> you had cases on are put in jail or die. I do it so that you don’t have to worry about the small things like drugs dealers and corrupt fucking business owners.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I want you to love me, Cas. I know you can love me! Because we're the same, Cas. We want justice, by any means necessary. We don’t fit into society’s mold of people, but that's okay. Because we can fucking have each other! You're just too dumb to realize it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Castiel shakes his head. “We aren't the same, Dean,” he tells him in a low voice. “I would never murder innocent people.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The only difference between us is what side of the law we’re on, Castiel.” Dean shakes his head. “I know you've been diagnosed with some bullshit disorders. Anxiety, obsessive compulsive? Probably put on meds, too. But they don’t do much, do they?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’s too wrapped up in the words Dean is saying to realize that the man just confessed to murder and arson. “Shut your damn mouth,” Castiel hisses.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He leans forward. “The hell are you gonna do about it, </span>
  <em>
    <span>detective</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before Castiel even knows what he's doing, he's grabbing the front of Dean’s shirt and pulling him against the table. “Don’t you ever fucking </span>
  <em>
    <span>suggest </span>
  </em>
  <span>that you and I are alike again,” he threatens. “I am a goddamn officer of the law. I am Detective Novak, not </span>
  <em>
    <span>Cas</span>
  </em>
  <span>. I am a respectable and law abiding person, not some fucking pyromaniac freak.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a small glimpse of fear in Dean’s eyes, and then he was laughing. He was no doubt in some pain from being slammed into the table, but he was laughing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Castiel blinks a few times and slowly lets go of the shirt. “Shit,” he mutters. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“See, Detective Novak? Not that different.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looks down at his trembling hands and stands up. “D-Dean Winchester, you confessed to being the Knight of Hell,” he says in a shaky voice. He has to remain professional. He can't lash out. He can't. “This includes the arson of forty three different houses and the murder of Kelly Kline, Cain Abel, Zachariah Adler, Lilith Morningstar-”</span>
</p><p>Again, Dean laughs. “Yeah, yeah, I know the deal. I killed those people, I burned the houses, blah blah blah. I confess. I fucking did it.”</p><p>
  <span>Dean keeps talking, but Castiel lets his voice drown out. He tries to breath, tries to calm himself down. He's not like Dean Winchester.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alright, so maybe in an interrogation or two Castiel had to get answers by some more violent means. And maybe he had enjoyed the - the </span>
  <em>
    <span>power</span>
  </em>
  <span> that came with that. But that didn't mean he was anything like Dean. He would never </span>
  <em>
    <span>kill</span>
  </em>
  <span> someone just to bring a criminal to justice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dean snaps his fingers to get Castiel’s attention again. “I do expect to see you again, Cas,” he says once their eyes meet. Then he looks Castiel up and down like he did when he first arrived and bites his lip. “Hopefully I can see more of you in the future, but… we’ll have to wait and see.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Castiel ignores the shiver that runs down his spine and shakes his head. “Fuck you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dean Winchester is incarcerated a few days later. He doesn't even bother to fight the charges, especially considering he did confess on tape. His lawyer tried to get him to plead insanity but Dean wouldn't do it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But throughout all of it, Castiel couldn't stop thinking about Dean and what he said. He couldn't stop thinking about if Dean was right. If they were truly alike.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If a few months later Castiel resigns, nobody would think anything of it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And if a few months after that Dean Winchester, also known as the Knight of Hell, got out of prison, nobody would think anything of it.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
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